Porsche 911 Targa 4S

Asked what this week’s review car, a Porsche 911 Targa 4S, was like, I said that it was, “extraordinarily good and extraordinarily expensive.” These five words are just about all you need to know.

Asking this questions was a young man who stopped his car on the street and was taking pictures of the Porsche with his cell phone.

How fast was it? How powerful? What’s it like to drive? How much does it cost? The questions came in rapid order, almost faster than I could answer. Finally he paused and asked the $64,000 – or in this case, the $151,000 – question. “Is it yours?”

“No,” I responded. “It’s owned by a business and I’ve just gotten to borrow it.” In fact, the business that owned the car is Porsche; this was a press review car on loan from its fleet. But that didn’t diminish the driving experience in any way. I wasn’t exaggerating when I said the car was extraordinarily good.

Start with performance. The Targa 4S comes with a 400-horsepower 3.8-liter horizontally opposed six-cylinder engine mounted just where you would expect it to be in a 911 Porsche, at the rear. The 4S model comes with all-wheel drive and, in place of a seven-speed manual transmission, this car had the $4,080 Porsche Doppelkupplung, or PDK, automated seven-speed gearbox. It combines the soul and efficiencies of a manual gearbox with the clutchless ease of an automatic transmission. There are several of these gearboxes available on cars from other automakers. None that I have tried work as well the PDK. It’s smooth, shifts instantly and eerily seems to anticipate the needs of the driver.

Acceleration is electrifying. A blast to 60 miles per hour took 4.3 seconds. The car starts quickly, but as the tachometer needle passes 4,500 rpm, the engine seems to gain a second wind, pushing passengers ever more firmly into the backrests of their seats. Top speed, according to Porsche, is 183 miles per hour. I’ll take their word for it.

The four-wheel drive system does more than deliver fuss-free rocket-like acceleration on dry pavement. During a snowstorm, this Porsche, with winter tires, delivered a flawless performance on unplowed surfaces. It demonstrated plenty of handling poise and vehicle control.

Years ago, I had the pleasure of being seated next to the late Bob Carlson, Porsche’s public-relations maven, at a luncheon meeting. As always, he was both a delight and a seemingly bottomless pit of knowledge on all things Porsche. However, he had one regret. Porsche drivers did not drive their cars enough. They should use their Porsches as daily drivers, he said. This one could easily fulfill that function, even after a snowstorm.

The other aspect of this Porsche that would make it an ideal daily driver was the ride. Yes, this is a sports car with incredible handling, instant responses and brakes that you have to try to believe.

However, the real surprise is how surprisingly comfortable it is when encountering bumps in the road. It doesn’t beat you up over rough pavement, the way some sports cars do. The ride is firm, but not nearly as abrupt as its impressive handling would suggest.

The review car my wife Paula and I drove had the Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control upgrade, which is said to offer “improved dynamic performance and increased ride comfort at all speeds,” according to Porsche. Plan on parting with an extra $3,160 to glean its benefits.

Inside is gorgeous. Our review car had more than $10,000 in upgrades to the seating and upholstery, including a natural (is there an unnatural?) leather upgrade for $5,200. The result was blissful comfort for two. The back seats, also for two, have to be misguided German humor. Children will fit if they are small. Otherwise, reserve the rear area for a pet or parcels.

I rarely regret giving review cars back at the end of the review period. This one was an exception. To the young man with all those questions, my advice is simple. Start saving your dollars now.